By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Photo Credit(s): Remington Military June 23, 2009 DefenseReview has been following the SOCOM (USSOCOM) Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) program since we came across a solicitation/sources sought notice and accompanying drafts for it awhile back. The PSR requirement is for a modular, multi-caliber bolt-action rifle that’s “caliber-specific to .338 Lapua Magnum (.338LM, also …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Pictured Below: FERFRANS SOAR Gas Piston/Op-Rod SBR

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Photo Credit: Channel 2 News, Israel June 9, 2009 Updated on 6/10/09 If you’re going to develop a tactical reconnaissance robot, best make it sneaky.

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Photo Credits: Sturm Ruger & Co., Inc. June 7, 2009 Updated on 6/16/09 Ever since the late

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com May 29, 2009 While Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ decision to halt production of the costly Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor low-observable/stealth fighter aircraft is perhaps not the best long-term strategic decision he could have made, it’s certainly understandable. Given the U.S. government’s–and thus DoD’s–current money crunch vs. the program’s high cost and lack …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com May 20, 2009 According to Army Times magazine, The 75th Ranger Regiment is scheduled to battle test the Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) very soon. The Rangers will reportedly be taking 600 FN SCAR rifle/carbine/subcarbine/SBR (Short-Barreled Rifle) weapons packages into battle, but DefenseReview doesn’t know how many of these are the …

By Mike Sparks April 29, 2009 “Geographically speaking, Afghanistan is ungovernable. It’s a recipe for a failed state” — Defeatist statement from Peter Zeihan of STRATFOR The April 2009 Armed Forces Journal (AFJ) on page 18 reports we are going to spend more than last year’s $36.5 BILLION occupying Afghanistan with 34,000 U.S. troops in 2008, yet Taliban violence is …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com April 18, 2009 Updated on May 6, 2009 Airtronic USA, Inc. has more up their sleeve than just an Americanized RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher. They’ve also got a pretty nifty 4-shot (3+1) pump-shotgun-config pump-action 40mm multiple grenade launcher (MGL) (a.k.a. multi-shot grenade launcher) system a.k.a 40mm pump grenade launcher system. The weapon …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com April 13, 2009 Updated on 4/26/09. My good friend and professional contact, prolific infantry small arms/machine gun designer Jim Sullivan (a.k.a. L James Sullivan), has complained to me quite a bit about U.S. military infantry warfighters not having an American version of the Russian RPG-7 / RPG-7V shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade weapon …

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com April 10, 2009 DefenseReview received an interesting CNN video clip (link below) yesterday from the good folks at the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), yesterday, showing SAF president Alan Gottlieb (Alan M. Gottlieb) going up against the combined brain trust–and we use that term loosely–of CNN news anchor/commentator/newly-appointed hatchet man Rick Sanchez and …